Pages

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The eleventh day of Christmas: We're trying. Oy vey.

¼

The last two mornings the Reachout team
has come to the steps trying to persuade Joe and his woman to accept shelter.
They say from all appearances, they should be eligible for their program. Joe
sees me approaching, says Here’s the pastor now. I look at the Reachout team
and say, I really want them off the steps in this weather. I don’t want anyone
freezing to death here. Been there…

Joe shrugs his shoulders. Tells me he’s
trained for survival. I shrug my shoulders. He shrugs his shoulders, begins his
litany of why the program won’t work. I tell him he’s got to try, got to work
with them.

I walk down 86th with the team.
I can’t have them here in this weather, I say. We’re trying they say.

Late in the day, I find Rachel in the
sanctuary after havdalah davening.
Again, I pursue a fruitless conversation as to why any of these righteous friends of hers can’t help. It
would surely be mitzvah.

And yet again, she responds with oy vey. And I hear all the answers. Just
like Joe. Without the shoulder shrugs. And I hear the story again. This time
with the part but the rare disease
and the terminal diagnosis and how she gave all her money away, never knowing
she’d live this long. And of all the people she’s counseled and…Just please get
your stuff in order, empty your carts. Like that’s going to happen.

Go up to visit RL. Time for a walk down
the street to his office at the Gate.And once again, he reminds me of what I can’t
do.